25 new surveillance cameras, staff coming to JPD in crime-fighting efforts

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Twenty-five new security surveillance cameras and new staff members are headed to the Jackson Police Department to foil crime in the city’s ‘blind spots’.

During his weekly press briefing on Monday, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba made the announcement.

The cameras are set up at undisclosed locations throughout the city as a real-time security measure, the mayor said.

“These are not just cameras that can capture when things take place, this allows officers to have a real-time account of what is going on in the community, and respond accordingly,” Lumumba said. These 25 locations mean that we are no longer blind in several parts of our city. It gives our residents the reassurance that JPD is watching.”

Jackson Police is also currently hiring several individuals to man the cameras.

“This is the future of law enforcement. It’s an investigative tool,” Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said. “We created positions within our budget to have the cameras manned so somebody will be watching the cameras. This is 21st-century law enforcement technology.”

The new equipment is expected to be up and running within six months.

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